Blog

The long-awaited moment finally arrived. You are a mum. Amazing, right? You have returned home with your new baby all excited… and then couple days or even hours later you already feel overwhelmed and helpless. Daily life with a newborn can be chaos.

First weeks can be tough. You don’t know how to hold the baby. You don’t know why the baby’s crying. You are not sure why you are crying. You are saying words you would have never used before to near- strangers (reflux, poop, nipples …). There are 100 more reasons to argue about with your partner. Non-stop feeding, piles of diapers. And of course, no sleep for months. And in case you are lucky and your baby is picture perfect, you are surely stressing about when will the dreaded change come…because everyone around says it’s too good to be true.

Parenthood reminds you a bit of a roller-coaster. Excitement, fear, expectations, constant changes…feelings as diverse as they can get. But don’t worry, there is an end to every upside-down turn. There’s an answer for everything, you just need to find it. You will soon learn what your baby needs, what works, what doesn’t, when does she want to be held, when fed, how to make her sleep…And at the end all you will remember is just the sheer excitement and joy of the ride.

But until you figure out how to manage all those crazy turns, every little help counts. To help shorten the learning curve, here are some tips to make those first weeks or months a bit smoother, those upside-down turns a bit easier to manage (and don’t forget, there is always grandparents in case you need a break… or just an hour of sleep).

1. Sleep when the baby sleeps

Try babynest to keep your baby close and have a nice slumber together. Babynest is designed for safety and close contact with parents. It allows you to sleep closely to a baby but separately at the same time without being afraid of falling asleep and harming it unintentionally. Babynest also prevents baby from rolling around (and off) the bed. So you don’t need to worry and can catch some zzzz’s. Your little angel will be sleeping happily, too – soft comfortable babynest imitates mother’s womb making him feel secure and sleep better.

2. Eat well – in a sitting position and not running around with whatever you managed to grab

And don’t worry about the little one. While you eat, you can keep him busy with this snugly comfort toy. Your baby will adore it! Pleasant to touch, this 100% organic bamboo muslin cloth provides a gentle sensory experience for the little one. A cute animal with distinctive eyes grabs attention of little discoverers for precious moments (so go and grab a meal). Just know, once they spot it, they will not let it go/never give it back/they will hang on to it all the time. So you better get at least 2 of these (as a backup when you need to wash one 😊).

3. Get out of the house

For nonstop breastfeeding mums of / and hungry little tigers, nursing cover will be your lifesaver.

Our breathable, lightweight nursing covers let you breastfeed your baby discreetly wherever you are. No more fiddling around with large scarfs when baby is hungry. Easy to put on with 1 hand; with strengthened neckline for direct eye contact with your hungry tiger. Hit the restaurants, parks or beach without worry and enjoy coming summer with your growing family.

4. Don’t be shy to get some help. Grandparents, family or friends, welcome visitors without stress. And give them something to do.

Just put your little one in our duvet swaddle and you are ready. Our unique duvet swaddles are specially created for ultimate comfort and feeling of security of your baby. Comfortable cocoon with open design reminds the baby of safety of your womb, helps soothe and calm without limiting its movement. In the swaddle, your little one will be comfortable even amidst army of visitors that want to hold him/her (and you can take the shower meanwhile) Also perfect for new daddies, as it makes holding the fragile body of your little angel easy.

5. Simplify whatever you can

Great example simplifying life of many active parents is car seat blanket. No more hassle with dressing up. Modern parents are always on the move… friends, shopping, doctors…but dressing the baby (especially in those early months when they are fragile and can’t yet hold their heads) is giving many parents a headache. Solution is easy 😊 stop dressing, start wrapping… ideal to control the warmth of the baby when moving between inside and outside. Car seat blankets with multiple openings for car seat harness is practical and universal. Soft and cozy material is suitable for all year usage.

6. No need to be perfect. Fake it till you make it.

Mama must be always ready. Need to clean spit-out? Create a shade during summer stroll? Or cover the baby when sun hides behind the clouds? With our premium quality, stylish multi-use muslins nothing will surprise you. Made of unique organic bamboo material, they are luxuriously soft, delicate, lightweight… and can be used for just about anything.

It does get easier, we promise. Be creative, patient, and hold tight to your sense of humor! And everything will be fine.

To the future dads1 out there, wondering how this new life is going to be like, let me give you a little peak. When you take 135 densely packed pages detailing “all a dad is and should be”, boil it down hard and let it dry for 4 months, you’ll be left with only two words that explain and describe everything: Caring and Intuition.

On Caring

I’m sure you care about a whole list of things today and so you will even after the D-day. But very soon, there will be The One Care to rule them all. It’s The Care that will suddenly make you a very speed-aware driver. It’s The Care that will keep you up all night watching your baby sleep because … he does breathe a bit funny today, doesn’t he? It’s The Care that will sharpen your senses to near-Mr. Miyagi level – you might not be able to catch a fly with chopsticks, but catching a child before his head hits the pavement (most of the time) is a good start. And it’s The Care that will manage your calendar, set your priorities, turn your world and make sure you do your best at all times – even if it will never seem good enough.

On Not Caring

If you’re anything like me, you have made a list of all the horribly disgusting things you’ve seen parents do and negotiated upfront that you will NEVER …

change diapers,

clean vomit,

finish food the baby spits out,

etc.

I will not sugar coat it for you. THAT list AND far worse is happening my friend. Oh yes. But the story has a silver lining – you will not care a bit!2

On Intuition

While The Care is an answer to the “What?” and “Why?” of being a dad, Intuition is your answer to “How?”. Don’t know how to play with a one year old? Not sure if he’s old enough for a beer at 2? Should he binge-watch GoT with you, or maybe not? Are there any pitfalls to “casting” a baby sitter? Just use your head, the answers are all there. And if you feel adventurous there are 5 Simple steps you can always follow:

Put on a tin hat and use Google.

Read the gazillion contradicting opinions on the simplest of things.

Close Google.

Forget all about it.

Use your own intuition3

Let me end with a disclaimer. I am a father of 1 (one) child4. He is two years old. You should heed my advice as you do of a medic who sort-of went to med-school for two years and might have missed some of the more important lectures. Still – it’s all true.

1 and moms

2Ok I’m not finishing the spit out food, that’s where I DRAW THE LINE!! For now. Don’t ask me tomorrow.

3 For a bit of fun run you can try “toddler wakes up coughing at night, how do I help”. The magnificent choice of sure-proof remedies covers the full spectrum from “intravenous cocktail of antibiotics, steroids and Pu-239” to “wrap a Canadian squirrel in grandfather’s sock soaked in warm virgin coconut oil and strap it to your child’s chest while gently knocking on your forehead.”

Girls or women, we are all obsessed with tests, quizzes….or at least based on talking with my friends it seems so. 🙂 Teenagers’ or female magazines clearly also believe so, because in every single one of them there is at least 1 test or quiz. “What’s your ideal sex position?”, “Are you in love or are you forcing it?”, “How much do you really know about Leonardio di Caprio?”, “What kind of female are you?”….I wonder why is that. Maybe it’s reassuring if a test confirms you should indeed cut your hair short or gives you tips how to land the man of your dreams (since the one in your bedroom is only matching your ideal 84%). Maybe it’s because it’s a great feeling you are a part of a group – all cool women of the world. 🙂 And maybe it’s just simply fun to do tests, to laugh about yourself, about your friends (and with them), about the article…..And you know what? Sometimes actually those quizzes and tests might give you cool ideas. 🙂

In light of the spirit, here’s a quiz my friend was sharing with us recently – ‘What type of mama are you?’ (she sent it 3x already, I swear!). It’s a quick fun read…or might even get you thinking. I wonder how you will feel about it. 🙂 Because when I started thinking …I couldn’t really fit myself in any of the ‘boxes’. What type of mama am I? Sometimes “running around with a box of cleaners”, sometimes lazy…. sometimes fashionista, sometimes “whatever clothes is clean will do”… sometimes cooking 3-course lunches (separate for each kid!), sometimes “honey, just feed them anything”….

No matter how I looked at it, nothing was standing out for me. But then I imagined my little ones….(already nicely playing together for whole 4 minutes. Mmm, that’s getting suspicious, need to go and check on them)….imagined their happy faces and I knew. No matter what type of mama I am, no matter what parenting style I have, or if I am consistent all the time…one thing is sure. In my kids eyes I’m the best mama in the world. I feel it in their their sticky kisses when they bid me goodnight. In their spontaneous hugs. In their twinkly eyes always when I enter the room. In their out of the blue blurted “Mama I love you thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much”. (OK, that’s my 2.5 year old, my little one just says “iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii”). In the way they cuddle next to me the closest possible. In the way they excitedly welcome me as if not seeing me for a week…after 10min trip to the grocery store. In the trust they have in whatever I say or do. In every ‘don’t worry mama’. In the clumsy loving way they try to be helpful and ease my everyday tasks. In the way they always run to the safety of my arms when they feel scared or hurt. In the fact I am included in all the goodnight stories they tell to their teddy bears….

One thing is sure. No matter how I am, in my kids’ eyes I’m the best mama in the world. (Even if I screw up here & there. 🙂 ) Just like for me my mama is the best mama in the world.* And just as my daughters once will be the best mamas in the world. Just like you are the best mama in the world! Every mama is. That’s simply the way mamas are. Isn’t that amazing? Happy Mamas’ Day!

Oh and here is the test just in case you’d like to find out a bit more about what type of mama you are (on top of being the best, of course!) By the way, it reads better with a glass of wine in hand. (or 2 🙂 ). It’s Mamas’ day after all. 🙂 A great reason for a little celebration.

Cheers.

*Even if in the heat of the moment, I might forget about it sometimes…esp. in the heat of the moments when she’s sharing parenting advice regarding her grandchildren. 🙂

Types of Mamas

Mama The Saint. Caring, a little old-fashioned. If she finds a willing partner to pay for the bills, happily and often stays at home with the kids for many years. Great to have as a coffee partner, as she’ll always serve a freshly baked cake with it.”

Mama The Tidy. Her apartment is always squeaky clean, her favorite google search includes the ‘best closet organizing tips’. She’s washing hands of her kids very carefully and always has wet napkins and antibacterial soap on hand. Tag along for a trip to nature. She’ll make sure your own kids don’t come back home looking like little pigs.

Mama The Lazy. Does not believe in any golden rules for raising children or daily schedules. Sometimes lunch is at 1pm, sometimes at 3pm. If you are the organized soul, planning vacation together might not be the best idea.

Mama The Fashionista. Is flourishing especially if she has a daughter. Both of them look like from a fashion magazine, sometimes even in matching outfits. Having a boy doesn’t stop her either. Pity husbands willing to play along are rather rare.

Mama The Perfect. The menace of all the other mamas. Wants everything and immediately, does not hesitate to put all her energy to a task at hand. On top, has a tendency to consider a perfection as the ultimate goal.

Mama the Hippie. Breastfeeds for many years, refuses plastic toys and classical education. Enjoys swimming against the current. Summer camps with her are a blur of dancing by the fire, body painting, observing clouds and scary night games (often organized by the kids).

Mama The Nutritional Adviser. Reads labels, uses fresh ingredients for cooking. Her children always have a fresh and nutritionally balanced snack on hand. Rather don’t discuss with her your night trips to the fridge or occasional visits to McDonald’s.

Mama the Olympian. Has a brisk walk and wears comfy clothes. Instead of new high heels she’d rather buy sneakers for her gym classes or running T-shirt with fancy cooling function. She’ll always find the time for sport, her passion. Her kids are the ones your kids hate during PE classes as school.

We are obsessed with baby blankets. Well, OK, we are obsessed with many things, but the blankets are definitely somewhere at the top of the list. If someone recorded all the moments we spent on baby blankets, it would probably make a good soap-opera. 🙂 With hell of a content 🙂

What is this one made of? Are these ones top top quality? “Oh boy, this is not a good one, we need to kick it out.” What strollers’ colors are hot this season? “Uuuuuu, look at this one, it looks amazing. Are you blind? It’s from last year.” Is this blanket soft enough? Is this comfy? Does it feel great when you touch? Do you want to touch it? Does this look amazing? Does this one fit to mamastore?

We keep talking about blankets…..and not only talking. We keep inspecting them, touching them….and yes, even cuddling in them. Some of them are simply too soft to resist.

We know, it might sound strange, but for us, the blankets that we use for our little ones ARE important. Here is why:

Baby blanket is mama’s fashion accessory.

Once your belly starts growing, suddenly there are more and more bunnies and elephants around you. World gets pink or blue. And that is just the beginning. Soon you realize that instead of lipgloss and tons of your beloved knick-knacks, your purse becomes a neverending source of diapers, things to munch on, homeopathies for teething and lots of other things that you didn’t even know existed. And – you accept it. You are a mama and you love every minute of it. But you are still a woman. And you want to keep looking feminine and attractive and express yourself through the accessories you use. And voila, this is where the blankets play an important role (apart from the cool diaper bag :)) ! Elegant? Colorful? Printed? Knitted? You subconsciously choose blankets that fits you and your style. (OK, your pram as well :D)). At mamastore, we try to offer wide selection that every mama can relate to 🙂

The little precious people in the world are exploring the world through senses…..and as such, even if you probably never thought about it that way, even through the blanket

Did you know that touch is developed first among senses? It develops early in utero – at less than 8 weeks, when the fetus is less than 2cm long, the sense of touch is already highly developed – before there are eyes or ears. Once the baby is born, all around the baby is stimulating the development of its senses. Being it the touch of your hands or the blanket you cover the baby with. Every detail of the blanket plays an important role. Baby is touching different surfaces with its hand, leg, cheek…. experiencing the material, structure, warmth, the way the blanket feels. That’s why at mamastore, we are obsessed about the quality, the touch and the materials we choose.

1 blanket is never enough 🙂

Mood? Weather? Newest fashion trend? Or simply practicality? Oh yes. This makes us have more blankets and we love it!!! When I was pregnant, my mom told me that you can always make a good use of any number of blankets. Well, after 3 kids and 5 grandkids she apparently knew what she was talking about. After having mine, I agree. 🙂 Are you also a proud owner of big blanket selection? Congratulations.:) If not…..hurray shopping spree! After all, you really do not want to carry 1 poor blanket from your crib to your living room to your stroller to your car. As big blanket believers, at mamastore we have 4 types of blankets and we refresh our collection regularly based on newest color and design trends:

A) winter blankets– cuddly and warm for the snowy and windy days. Based on the type, they either have 2 layers or a special filling inside. Extremely soft and fluffy, you wish you have one in adult size 🙂

B) spring and autumn blankets– single layered, but still provide warmth, ideal for spring days or a car

C) summer blankets– light blankets for warm summer days, to protect from wind or sun. Or for a nice ev
ning walk.

D) universal blankets– special type that you could use anytime. Funky, decoration – like this one 🙂

At mamastore, we are obsessed with baby blankets. Rightly so 🙂 Check-out our newest collection 😉

PS: And yes, those beautiful light summer colors can get dirty. We are talking kids. 🙂 But hey, who cares, they really are all machine washable! We tried! 😉

Once you hit a certain age, the pregnant bellies start multiplying around you with the speed of light. Everybody is talking about getting ready for the baby with this & that, hypno delivery, epidural yes or no, husband fainting… oh yes, all the details that wouldn’t even cross your mind. :)And then you start getting invitations to numerous baby showers, thinking again and again what to bring and what present to buy. It can be scary at the beginning, but eventually you learn how to swim in the baby shower “flood”.

And then comes a day, when you need to organize one. And of course, you want to make the best one, the most entertaining one, with the best decoration and mostly, you want to make the mama-to-be very happy. 🙂 Wuaaaaah…

We’ve been through it – as attendees, organizers, and mamas-to-be as well. So here you can find how mamastore mamas deal with babyshowers.

New baby on the way – babyshower on the horizon! Yeeey!

At mamastore, we actually love babyshowers! They combine all the best things of life: friends, fun, nice food and the most important one –welcoming a small bundle of joy that will change one’s life (forever).

Tailor it to the mama-to-be

Forget what you like and dislike. This is the last time when your expecting friend will be the star of the day. (After she delivers she will become a mama and the baby will come first. Always. Trust us.) So try to think what SHE likes in the following areas:

Decoration – is she the elegant classy lady that will go for gentle or neutral colors and patterns? Does she prefer typical baby things – blue/pink/elephants and bunnies? Or she is nothing like a “normal” girl and she would go for something completely nuts – maybe skulls? Or a hippie owl? You don’t need a wagon of decorative items, just some pompoms/balloons, tablecloth, plastic/paper plates and cups, napkins and confetti. That usually is enough to do the job.

Food – as people usually mingle around the room, we recommend finger food – to cover all different types – sweet, salty, veggie, meaty, fruity. And CUPCAKES – all time babyshower favourite! Find some inspiration on the pics below. If you need recipes, feel free to contact us. 😉

Activities – and this is the time when you really need to find the preference of the mama-to-be. You want to get it right! Some mamas would “play” all night, some detest games, some like more emotional ones, some crazier ones… There are zillions of games and things you can do and we will talk about the proven ones in a separate post. 🙂 But no stress, there are a couple of good activities for every type of mama.

Gifts – as said, all mamas are different. You have 3 choices:

Ask her to prepare a list of the gifts and attendees can pick one they will buy. (Just make sure you share the picks amongst each other so she doesn’t end up with 3 bottle dryers. :))

You fish her wishes from the daddy-to-be. Usually they are very cooperative so don’t be shy and ask them for help!

You leave it to the fantasy of the invitees, or you can give them some suggestions. We always prefer practical gifts, so here are few ideas:

Baby towel – you can never go wrong. Make sure to choose a soft one, ideally from bamboo. They are organic and very absorbent. Really necessary for a newborn to keep him warm and dry!

Something not that practical, but very personalized – handmade baby name (in case you know the name of the baby-to-come)

Enjoy the babyshower party!

There is no right or wrong for the babyshower. So even if the cupcake frosting won’t be perfect, the gift will not arrive on time or a balloon will fall from the ceiling – it doesn’t matter. The most important thing is to enjoy the event with all the friends of the mama, have some girly chit-chat and wonder how the coming baby will be.

Clean-up

Yes, you ‘hear’ correctly. Clean-up. Some babyshowers take place at the home of the mama-to-be. And after a great babyshower there is a big mess: food leftovers, dishes, napkins, gift wrapping paper, decoration… It’s a different kind of a party but it’s still a party. 🙂 From our experience, every mama-to-be is so excited and hyped after a great babyshower, that she feels she can conquer the world and feels absolutely ready to tackle the mess after the guests leave. But don’t let her! After all, it’s difficult to bend down for those papers on the floor with a big belly, her feet probably hurt after running around the whole evening and anyway, soon she’ll have enough of trouble & work on her shoulders. So clean-up before you say goodbye for the night. 🙂 And give her a last biiiiig hug with that big belly. (Next time you’ll be hugging her she probably won’t have it any more. :))

mamas from mamastore

PS:Don’t forget to take pictures and archive them. In few years, somebody will be laughing hard at them. (The only question is who. :))

Becoming a mother recently opened a whole new world for me. New duties, skills and things to learn, life dynamics, but most importantly, completely different level of emotions. You love and worry with every single cell of your body and there is nothing that would stop you to. I do love being a mom and I am happy to see other moms enjoying this very special period of life.

But I also know that this period can be super tough as you are trying to be the best mom in the world. Ok, maybe tough and funny at the same time. Even a simple shopping was for me a ticking bomb as I never knew when my “always hungry” son would start screaming like no tomorrow. Slowly I started to realize that I need to get things which will simplify my life (though it took me few weeks to realize that there is something like nursing cover that i could use happily in public and not worry about the great appetite of my baby).

The fact that I live in Switzerland didn’t really help as I either didn’t find what I needed or even if I did, I just rolled my eyes over the prices. So while breastfeeding throughout the nights, I was googling all over the world the things which i needed or wanted to make my journey as a mom effective and pleasant. I started to play with the idea of simplifying the hunt for other moms.

There were 3 things which helped me to move forward (obviously only once I managed to get 5 hours of straight sleep (yuhuuu)) :

Having always some moms around – fortunately I realized that I am not an overdemanding, obsessed mom and many of us experience the same – lack of choice and crazy prices.

I could finally capitalize on the years I spent in a multinational company designing products and global brands for women.

Going through the pregnancy and newborn care myself, I really could tell what products I needed and what was just “useless (but often very cute) crap”

So this is how mamastore was born. Mama and babygoods with character for affordable prices. Enjoy! All the products were designed and chosen with love (and joy :)). for you and for the most precious little people you have in your life.